Danger on the Waters
by Galaya
Summary: While Hiccup goes off with Toothless to study the wild dragons, the other teens are left at Berk with three new arrivals. With news that Alvin and the Outcasts have destroyed the tribe of the three new teens and four rouge dragons attacking Berk, it is decided that the new teens, Margen, Toriq, and Algeird, will learn how to train dragons of their own. But nothing is that easy.
1. Chapter 1: Three New Arrivals

**Danger on the Waters**

Galaya

**It's been a long time since I've posted a story. I'm not quite certain how long. Anyways, I've been looking for a new fandom, ever since I lost interest in **_**Merlin**_**. Right now, there are two I believe I'll be posting in: this one and **_**Rise of the Guardians**_**. Anyways, if any of you reading this have read my **_**Merlin**_** fics, know that I will do my best to finish them. Also as a warning, my updates will be sporadic, as I'm usually working on my own story, which I hope to get published as an eBook within the next couple months (meaning, as soon as I'm done editing it- finished the actual story itself in December). Anyways, on with the story.**

Chapter One: Three New Arrivals

Hiccup gazed up at the afternoon sky with Toothless napping beside him. Ever since dragons had been tamed- if you could call them tamed- he'd started to enjoy everything in life. Before, he'd been too busy trying to prove his worth to his father and the other Vikings. Now, he actually had time to spend admiring the sunset. Strange, when it was considered that he now had more duties than before. Perhaps it was because there were no more dragon attacks.

Maybe it was the fact that he was far more free and could get anywhere in a moment on Toothless. The Night Fury was still the fasts dragon known, despite Stormfly having gotten much faster with Astrid feeding her chicken. Besides, that was cheating. Toothless was naturally as fast as he was. And however close the others were to their dragons, one of them could ever hopes to be as close as he was to Toothless. After saving each other's lives more than once, there was no way anyone could break that bond.

Deciding that it was high time to head home, he nudged the dragon beside him awake. Toothless blink lazily up at him and yawned, revealing his retractable teeth. Hiccup swung up into the saddle, settling his prosthetic foot into the control stirrup for Toothless's fake tail. The Night Fury raised his wings and in a powerful down stroke combined with a leap, lifted off the ground, shooting into the sky.

They flew towards Berk, where Hiccup could see the other dragon trainers were practicing their dragon calls. One could never practice too much. Apparently, someone dared Fishlegs to try a Changewing call.

"Oh, great," Hiccup sighed, turning around to check if there were now any Changewings behind him and Toothless. He caught a glimpse of movement from the trees, about where they'd found Changewing eggs a few weeks earlier. "Well, looks like we might just have to train one, now."

He turned Toothless around, waiting for the Changewing to come flying out of the forest. He wasn't disappointed. The Changewing flew straight at Toothless, looking quite like it wanted a fight. Hiccup switched the fake tail fin in preparation for a dive. The wind blew his vest and hair back as Toothless barreled towards the Changewing.

Caught off guard by the retaliation, the Changewing spat acid at the approaching Night Fury. Easily, Toothless let the acid shoot right past him, missing Hiccup's leg by a few inches. Toothless slammed into the Changewing's side, sending the red dragon hurtling to the ground, attempting to throw the Night Fury off. Right before they hit, Toothless opened his wings as the Changewing furiously flapped. Managing awkwardly to remain in the air, Hiccup directed Toothless towards the arena once more.

Noticing that Toothless was attempting to carry the Changewing, which kept disappearing and trying to escape, Astrid leapt onto Stormfly's back. The Deadly Nadder quickly launched into the air, soaring towards Toothless and Hiccup. Stormfly fastened her claws around the Changing's left wing, halting its attempt as escape. Now with only one wing flapping and not carrying the Changewing's entire weight, Toothless was able to fly much more smoothly.

Together, they deposited the dragon in the arena, and the other teens quickly closed the gate. Hiccup and Astrid slid off their dragons. The Changewing attempted to spit acid at them, but ran out of shots before it could hurt them. Now that it was effectively harmless, Hiccup held out his hand in order to train the Changewing. Instead, the dragon tried to fly away, accidentally getting itself stuck in one of the cages instead. Sighing again, Hiccup closed the door of the cage and motion for the other teens outside the arena to enter.

The twins gaped at the disappearing Changing. Tuffnut was the first to speak.

"Wow. We have a Changewing," he said unnecessarily.

Hiccup looked at him in annoyance. "Thank you for summing up the obvious. Now we need to figure out what to do with it. We obviously can't train it until it calms down. Besides, I was planning on going to study the wild dragons for a few days, so I won't be here as of tomorrow."

"Wait, you're leaving?" Ruffnut asked.

"Yes. My dad asked me to get a bit more information on the wild dragons, maybe even train a couple and bring them back here. No one can deny that, as some of the kids decide they want to train their own dragons, we're going to need more available for training without having to go and catch one as soon as the kid decides what kind they want."

"I say it's a good idea," agreed Astrid, coming to stand beside Hiccup. "You might even find some dragons we don't know about yet. I think we should make more trips like this."

"We? I'm just going with Toothless. At least, on this first one. I know he'll protect me, and if we get into trouble, he's fast enough to outdistance almost any other dragon quickly. I don't want anyone getting hurt," Hiccup replied, shaking his head.

"What if you run into Alvin and the Outcasts? If it's just you and Toothless, you'll not be able to escape. You don't even carry a weapon besides that knife."

"I can use my fake foot if I need to. I did when Alvin captured Toothless and me. And Toothless has his plasma blasts. I'll be fine, Astrid. I'm not leaving until tomorrow, anyway. You can try to train the Changewing without me if you want, but make sure to have the arena closed and your dragons with you. I'll be back in three days."

Hiccup walked back over to Toothless, easily climbing into the saddle despite his fake left foot. They flew out of the arena, as the other teens had left the gate open. Back in the arena, Astrid and Stormfly lead the way out, with Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs following close behind them on their dragons. Each headed home to sleep for the night.

Landing just outside his house, Hiccup walked to the door and opened in, looking around to see if Stoic was back yet. He wasn't, so Hiccup headed up to his room, Toothless right behind him. He sat down on his bed as Toothless circled on his own, breathing fire on the wood slab to heat it up.

Hiccup removed his fake foot to check it for any sort of blemish. He wouldn't have access to a forge for a few days while he was out, so it was better to make certain it was in top condition. There was only the slightest scratch on it. Nothing that would be any danger. Satisfied, he sipped it back on and lay down, pulling the thin blanket over himself.

Unfortunately, he didn't sleep well. Dreams of getting attacked by rouge or unknown dragons, or even Alvin and the Outcasts, troubled his sleep. He woke around midnight, startling Toothless awake. Panting he ran his hand along Toothless's head. The dragon had stood and walked over to him the moment he awoke. Toothless purred, calming Hiccup.

"Just a bad dream," he reminded himself, rolling over to go back to sleep, but accidentally kicking himself with his fake leg in the process. "Ow. Maybe it's not such a good idea to sleep with this on."

He again removed the prosthetic, placing it on his nightstand. Toothless settled himself beside Hiccup's bed, which brought a smile to his face.

"Thanks bud," Hiccup whispered.

Morning came too quickly in Hiccup's opinion. As he told the others good-bye, they insisted on accompanying him. They eventually compromised on having them turn around after a while. In truth, Hiccup was glad for the company. This would be the last time he'd see them for a couple days.

About halfway to his destination, he finally told the others to turn around. He'd have much preferred for his friends to accompany him the entire time, but they still had their own families to return to. They tried to argue, but he countered by bringing up the Changewing. The twins were the first to decide trying to train the Changewing was more important than keeping Hiccup company.

Hiccup and Toothless continued on towards a small island that was home to a few dragon species. Inwardly, Hiccup hoped they could possibly find a Night Fury or two there as well, but he doubted they'd have such luck. They circled the island once to get an idea of how many dragons were there and what species. Monstrous Nightmares, Deadly Nadders, Hideous Zipplebacks, and Gronkles were prominent, although Hiccup knew there would also be Terrible Terrors as well. They were just too small to see from the sky.

He wondered if there might be a few of the less common dragons, such as Changewings or Whispering Deaths, on the island. There likely were, even if he didn't see them. Especially those two species. Changewings could blend into the environment and Whispering Deaths lived underground. Besides, the sun was shining brightly, so no Whispering Death would venture out into the open at that time.

Toothless landed on a small cliff side. Hiccup leapt off the Night Fury's back and surveyed the place for somewhere to set up camp. There was a small cave nearby. Cautiously, he entered it, glancing around for any Whispering Death tunnels. Seeing none, he relaxed. He turned back to Toothless.

"Looks like we found ourselves a place to stay, bud," he commented, grinning.

Toothless gave a giant yawn, swiping is slightly forked tongue over his teeth, then readied himself a place to lie down. Hiccup gently removed his bag from Toothless's saddle, but left the saddle itself on Toothless's back in the chance they needed to escape quickly. He pulled out his journal and sketched the island and the cave, as well as a map to the island for future reference.

Since it had only taken a couple hours since they'd left Berk, and that had only been two hours after dawn, he still had plenty of time in the day to explore. Knowing Toothless would come to help in an instant if he ran into trouble, he decided to let the Night Fury sleep. He didn't plan on going far, anyways. One can never be too cautious. Well, unless they simply don't do whatever requires being cautious.

He sat himself on the edge of the cliff, careful to balance his weight evenly. Gazing out at the island, he sketched any dragon he saw, noting what they were doing. Pretty quickly, a few Terrible Terrors took an interest in him and landed on the cliff. Hiccup grinned as he watched them interact. He made sure to jot down anything interesting he saw them do.

The sun was beginning to set when he returned to the small cave, setting out him own sleeping roll to wait out the night. Toothless lit a small fire for him. Restless due to the previous night, Hiccup chose to go on one last flight with Toothless for the day, just to see what it was that dragons did at night. He made sure to keep his journal in the bag so as not to lose it like the cheat sheet he'd used while original learning to fly on Toothless.

Most of the dragons simply slept, although he noticed that a few deer promptly disappeared into the ground to be dinner for a Whispering Death. He shuddered, thinking how unpleasant that would be. He'd nearly been eaten by one in the past. Seeing nothing of interest, he turned Toothless back to the cave and both settled in for the night.

Astrid turned Stormfly around as the others, besides Hiccup and Toothless, did suit. As much as she didn't like Hiccup going off on his own, she knew it was a good idea. Who knew what the twins would get up to with no one there to keep an eye on them. Probably destroy all of Berk. In a single night. Of course, she'd have to put up with Snotlout's insistent annoyingness for three days, but she was used to it.

They decided to take the long way back, since none of them, including Snotlout and the twins despite how much they might deny it, did not truly want to leave Hiccup alone. He was their friend and the reason they had their dragons. They half hoped that Hiccup and Toothless would come careening towards them with Hiccup saying that they could come along. But they knew he wouldn't.

Solemnly scanning the blue ocean beneath them, Astrid noticed something odd. A small 'raft' that was more of part of the side of a destroyed boat than a raft, floated serenely on the calm waters with three passengers. Curious, she urged Stormfly in for a closer look.

Two of the passengers looked their age, with the third looking a year or two younger. One of the older two, the only girl, seemed to be trying to comfort the youngest, who looked as if there was nothing in the world that could get him to calm down. The older boy noticed Astrid's approach. He grabbed for any sort of weapon, but there were none available.

Stormfly flapped to remain above the water as she came to a halt in front of the 'raft.' The three castaways looked surprised at there being a rider on the dragon. The youngest looked scared.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Astrid called out. "I just want to know what happened."

"We were attacked," the girl replied warily.

"By who? Or what."

The last part was given with a glance down at Stormfly. The three castaways looked grief-stricken and angry.

"The Outcasts," replied the older boy.

The younger boy muttered something, but it was too quiet for even his companions to hear. Astrid frowned, wondering how bad the attack had been.

"Why are you three out stranded in the middle of nowhere?"

The girl answered again. "Our entire tribe was destroyed. It's just Toriq, Algeird, and me left now. But how on earth did you manage to ride a dragon?

"Long story," Astrid Shrugged. "I and my friends can give you a ride to Berk, if you'd like."

"Berk? You're from Berk? But I thought it was everyday business to kill dragons there," the older boy, Toriq, replied, frowning in confusion.

"Yeah, well, the chief's on, Hiccup, managed to figure out how to train them instead. After killing the Red Death, which was basically like a Queen Bee to the dragons, we've no longer had raids from them. Here, hop on."

Stormfly lowered until her talons barely scraped the water. Astrid held out her hand to the three castaways. The girl motioned for the younger boy, Algeird, to go with Astrid. By now, Astrid's friends had also come to see what was going on. Snotlout and Fishlegs came close enough so as to pick up one of the castaways.

Algeird looked fearfully back towards the girl, his messy black hair falling into his eyes. "Margen, are you sure…?"

"Yes, little brother," Margen sighed exasperatedly. "If they're from Berk, I believe we can trust them. The Hooligans are known for not waging many wars with other tribes, as they're more worried about getting enough food stored and the dragons."

"Yeah, but-"

"Just get on the dragon, Algeird," Toriq huffed.

Algeird turned his timid green eyes back to Astrid, who held out her hand and nodded encouragingly. The other two moved to the back of the raft so as to let Algeird get onto the dragon without tipping them all over. He warily took Astrid's hand and allowed her to pull him up onto Stormfly, at which point he steadfastly held onto her as if for dear life.

Astrid grinned as she heard Snotlout's irate mutterings. "She offers to hold _his_ hand. She just gave me her dragon's tail when I asked."

Margen agreed to go with Fishlegs and Toriq with Snotlout. From Toriq's scowling, Astrid guessed he didn't like Snotlout's attitude. Margen just seemed indifferent towards everyone except Toriq and her brother, who kept giving her small, frightful glances. Astrid smiled reassuringly at the timid boy.

After an hour and a half, they returned to Berk. Margen and Toriq grinned, and even Algeird gave a small smile at seeing land and people again. They landed in the plaza. The chief and Gobber, who were the only people in the plaza at the moment, looked surprised at the three extra people.

"What'd you do? Drop off Hiccup and pick up three new teens?" Gobber questioned.

"Basically," Astrid replied, slipping off Stormfly and helping Algeird down.

The timid boy hugged his arms nervously, as if he were cold. Margen placed a reassuring hand on his thin shoulder. She was much taller than her brother, with a somewhat stocky build, but not big. Toriq was definitely tall, but again not very big. Algeird looked fragile, even more so than Hiccup. His messy black hair continuously fell into his scared green eyes, unlike his sister's long, brown hair that fell evenly down her back, although her eyes were still green. Toriq's hair was also black, but his eyes were brown. Another interesting thing was that Algeird's helmet had only the left horn, which was broken in the middle so that the top half of the horn was crooked, adding greatly to his fragile appearance.

"And who are you three?" asked Stoic the Vast.

Margen answered. "I am Margen Wrandrek. This is my younger brother Algeird Wrandrek, and our friend Toriq Staltman."

Stoic cocked an eyebrow. "Wrandrek? As in, Erik Wrandrek, or Erik the Rover? Chief of the Clasher Tribe?"

"The no longer existing Clasher Tribe," Toriq nodded sadly.

"The Outcasts destroyed our home and our tribe. Our parents pushed us onto a boat, but a storm destroyed it. They," Margen gestured to the teens, "Saved us while we were drifting on the ocean. Although, I am curious as to how you managed to train dragons. She said that your son, Hiccup, figured it out? I always thought everyone said Hiccup was a screw-up."

"He was, until he found that Night Fury," Gobber agreed.

"Night Fury?" Algeird queried, looking up at Gobber. The younger teen's voice was small, but had a strangely even tone to it, despite his timid nature. The others looked surprised, besides his sister and Toriq. This was the first time they'd heard him talk.

"Yep. Shot it down and then tracked it, but couldn't bring himself to kill it. So, he trained it, and learned all the secrets to training a dragon in doing so."

At the words 'couldn't bring himself to kill it,' Algeird seemed to stand a little straighter, obvious respect for Hiccup in his eyes. Apparently, he was fond of anyone who wouldn't kill. Likely because of his nervous personality. He was a bit like a shy version of Hiccup.

"We should give you somewhere to stay. While Hiccup's gone, there's plenty of room up at our house," Stoic offered.

Margen nodded quickly, but her brother seemed uncertain. "Margen, he is the chief. We shouldn't just-"

"Algeird, he offered. There's no reason to be so worried all the time," Margen gave a tiny glare in her brother's direction, quieting the shy boy.

They turned to Toriq, who shrugged. "I don't really care if I sleep in luxury or a cave. Anywhere is better than that broken ship, raft-thing."

"It's settled then. Until we find you three a permanent residence, you can stay with Hiccup and myself," Stoic announced.

"Thank you," Algeird dipped his head, Toriq also repeating the gesture. Margen just shrugged.

Stoic lead them towards the chief's dwelling to get them settled in, dry, and clean. Even after a good wash and comb, Algeird's hair was stubbornly messy, which was rather amusing to everyone, including himself. Out of all three new teens, Algeird was the quickest to fall asleep. Margen claimed the cot that was normally used by Hiccup, Toriq using the spare. Algeird contented himself with a mat on Toothless's charred wooden slab. Apparently, there was still the faint vestiges of heat clinging to it from Toothless's repeated burnings of it. He wrapped a thin sheet around himself tightly, looking for once as if he could not be happier.

But, despite his calm, his dreams weren't quite such. The flash of white he'd seen during the destruction of his tribe and village continued to flash through his mind, even in peaceful sleep.

**Well, I hoped everyone one liked it. Margen's supposed to be a bit hardheaded, Toriq pretty much just calm and indifferent, and Algeird is shy and a little nervous. And, I'll tell you straight off the bat that no, Hiccup and Toothless are not going to find any more Night Furies. At least, not in this story. I have an idea that the Whispering Death Toothless had a grudge against killed his family, which were the last of the Night Furies. Hence the grudge.**

**There's really only a few main foreshadowing bits in this chapter, with the 'flash of white' being the biggest one. I'll leave you to guess what that means. (And no, as I indirectly said above, it is not a white Night Fury. I don't even think there could be a white Night Fury.)**

**Please review! This is my first time not writing a story for **_**BBC Merlin**_**, so I'd like to know how I did. Personally, I think it was a bit rushed, but that might be because I normally tell stories through an even amount of dialogue and action, while this was dominated by the latter. Anyways, I'll shut up now.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Rouge Dragons

**Danger on the Waters**

Galaya

**I am really enjoying this story. I have to say, though, out of my three OCs, Algeird is my favorite. Especially since he's going to get an awesome dragon. (Not the Changewing, however.) And Algeird's knowing foreign languages is an explanation for something later on.**

Chapter Two: The Rouge Dragons

Two days passed. So far, Toriq and Margen seemed disinterested in everything else, preferring just to rest and find a permanent place to stay. Algeird, however, contented himself with watching the other teens train and ride their dragons. Unfortunately, training the Changewing wasn't quite going as planned.

"Where is it?" asked Algeird, peeking from behind a bar.

The young teen was on the observing area around the dragon-training arena with Fishlegs, who'd opted not to be in with the acid-spitting, volatile dragon.

"Changewings can blend in with their surroundings. It's still in there. We don't know much about them but they can spit green acid which will melt almost anything," Fishlegs replied enthusiastically.

"I think I got that," Algeird said dryly as the Changewing spat another glop of acid at Snotlout. "Kind of like my sister."

"What's wrong with your sister?"

"She's… bossy, hotheaded, stubborn, and overbearing. Sometimes, I wish she'd just let me be. I mean, the only time she has ever really been nice to me was when the rest of our tribe was killed and we were trying to survive out on the ocean. We were only out there for two days, but it was torture nonetheless."

Since settling in to Berk, Algeird had started to open up to Fishlegs and Astrid. The others he was still wary of. They'd found that, despite his shyness, he was just as fond of jokes as the twins. Except, his were normally verbal and not harmful in any way. He seemed completely averted to harm, in fact. He was also as fond of knowledge as Fishlegs and Hiccup, even knowing snippets of foreign languages. His favorite appeared to be Latin.

The Changewing once again shot acid at the teens in the arena, this time it was Astrid getting spat at. Algeird cringed as he saw the green goop flying towards the blond girl, who easily dodged it. While they were refraining from using weapons, the Changewing didn't seem to want to calm down at all.

Not wanting to watch any longer, Algeird looked to the sky. As he watched, four dragons streaked across the sky: a blue Zippleback, a yellow Nightmare, and two Gronkles. He frowned. He had no idea what was up with the four dragons. Suddenly, the Nightmare lit itself on fire and spat fire down at the village. Algeird's green eyes widened as he realized the four dragons were _attacking_ Berk.

Quickly, he whirled around and grabbed Fishlegs's arm, snatching the older teen's attention. Fishlegs gave him a confused frown.

"What?" he queried.

"Those four dragons," Algeird said quickly, pointing to said dragons.

Fishlegs looked stunned and a bit frightened. "We need to get those four away from Berk. But Meatlug and I can't fight them alone.

"So we have to get the others to help. I'll run down there and grab them. I doubt the Changewing will hurt me; my sister spits acid at me all the time in the form of words. She never really hurts me. Annoys me, yes, but never hurts me."

Without waiting for a reply, Algeird sprinted down to the gate leading into the arena. Using his small size to his advantage, he slipped through the bars instead of opening the gate. He ran directly towards Astrid, the only one of the teens he knew would listen to him. He grasped the girl's sleeve to get her to look at him.

"Algeird? What is it? Can it wait?" she questioned quickly in irritation.

"No, it can't wait. There's four dragons attacking Berk!" he replied, nearly shouting in his anxiety.

"This better not be a joke."

"Would I joke like that?"

"I've only known you for two days; anything's possible. I'll look. As soon as we get the Changewing back in its cage."

"I can slip through the bars. I'll lure it in there and then, when you close the gate, I get out through the bars," the small teen offered, a pleading tone entering his voice.

Astrid looked at him in surprise. Algeird wasn't really someone who struck her as brave. For him to offer something like that… it confirmed for her that the situation was serious. He wasn't trying to play a trick on her.

Seeing her realization in her eyes, Algeird let go of her sleeve and bolted to the center of the arena, earning a glare each from the twins and Snotlout. He waved his arms, catching the Changewing's attention. It came bearing down on him, giving him hardly enough time to move and dash towards the cage where it was being kept. With a glance behind him, he was relieved to see that Astrid and the dragon were following him.

He sprinting to the back of the cage, letting the Changewing slip in. He motioned for Astrid to close it. Reluctantly, she complied. As soon as it was closed, Algeird darted around the Changewing and slipped easily through the bars, just as he'd said. Now safe, he bent over and started panting.

"What was that all about?" Snotlout yelled.

"Dragon attack," Astrid answered for the worn-out boy.

Algeird thanked her in his thoughts and stood up, straitening his helmet. The single horn often brought it down over his left eye. He didn't want to have it repaired or replaced, however. It was the only thing his father had ever given him and he didn't want to lose it.

"Dragon attack?" tuff queried, disbelieving.

"That's what Algeird told me," Astrid replied evenly. "I think that display of uncharacteristic courage proves that he'd not lying."

Algeird winced at the all too true comment of the 'uncharacteristic courage.' Back home, he'd often been teased for being so timid, but he couldn't help it. He was small and fragile. The only good things that could be said about him were that he was fast and smart. Neither really mattered to most people.

Sighing, the teens turned to their dragons, quickly getting onto them. Algeird just stood where he was, uncertain of what to do. Astrid held out a hand to help him up onto Stormfly. As warily as he had on the day they'd rescued him, Margen, and Toriq, he took it and allowed himself to be pulled up.

Fortunately, Fishlegs had opened the gate as soon as the Changewing was in its cage, so they didn't have any need to open it as they flew out. As soon as they were in the air, they could see the truth of Algeird's words. The four rouge dragons were laying waste to the village as the villagers tried to send the beasts off. Stoic was already on Thornado but it didn't really seem to help. Glancing over at the ocean, Algeird saw the same flash of white he had back when his tribe was attacked. Fear froze his heart for a moment it seemed.

Astrid dropped Algeird off with his sister and Toriq as she and the other dragon trainers launched themselves towards the rouge dragons to drive them off. Although frightened, Algeird managed to keep himself from hiding behind his sister as he normally did when scared. He watched the fight.

Astrid had Stormfly fling a few spikes at the Nightmare, piercing one of its legs. The Nightmare lit itself on fire, burning away the spike. However, as the flame leaked into its own wound, it roared in pain and turned away from the fight. Seeing the Nightmare discouraged, the Zippleback and Gronkles also departed.

The dragon trainers landed their dragons in the plaza. Each got off their dragon and looked to the villagers amassed in the plaza. Everyone looked startled by the sudden attack.

"We'll get these three dragons under control, but it'll take a while without Hiccup," Astrid told the villagers.

"They just roasted my sheep," a woman yelled, holding up a singed sheep.

"Er, maybe we could help?" Algeird suggested, his voice once again soft.

"Us?" Margen scoffed. "Ha. I don't want anything to do with dragons."

"They have a Changewing that spits acid," Algeird grumbled.

At the word 'acid' Margen perked up. "Spits acid? Now that might be interesting."

"Nearly fried us all," Snotlout complained.

"Perhaps that's a good thing," Toriq muttered, glaring at the arrogant teen. "We wouldn't have had to listen to you."

"Would you like to train a dragon?" Astrid asked, surprised by Algeird's offer.

"I will," shrugged Toriq.

"If I can see that Changewing, yes," Margen agreed.

"I'll… try," Algeird bit his lip.

Back at the arena, Margen stood in front of the Changewing's cage, looking quite unimpressed. "Well, where is it?"

"Invisible," her brother muttered.

"I doubt that. It just isn't there."

Margen walked over to the lever and opened the cage. Algeird tried to stop her, but wasn't quite quick enough. The Changewing burst out of the cell fully visible. Margen looked quite shocked by that event and froze. Astrid, who was standing rather close, yelled at her.

"Hold your hand out! That's the only way to bond with it!"

Knowing his sister was not going to do what Astrid said. Algeird grabbed Margen's arm and tried to pull it up, only succeeding in managing to get himself off balance and fall on his face. Huffing he looked up at his sister.

"If you don't do what she says, I'll try bonding with it myself!" he yelled up at her, knowing full well that would irritate her into action.

Scowling down at her younger brother, Margen held her right hand out in front of herself. Algeird contained a yelp as the Changewing stepped on his leg, trying not to startle it. As soon as it was off his leg, he rolled away as quietly as he could.

Turning itself visible, the Changewing studied Margen and looked down at her hand. Deciding she was no threat, it turned to Algeird, who cringed and curled in on himself. Seeing the boy cower, the Changewing lost all interest in him and looked back to Margen. Slowly it brought its head closer to her palm, but hesitated a mere inch away. Locking eyes with the girl, it finally pushed its nose into her palm.

"How come _she_ gets the Changewing?" complained Tuff from somewhere behind them.

"Because she's a lot like it," grumbled Algeird as he picked himself off the ground.

"Well, that went well," Astrid sighed in relief. "Who's next?"

Toriq quickly chose a grey-purple and orange male Deadly Nadder, which he named Darkspike. Margen had decided to call her Changewing Acridfire on account of the acid. Now, the question was posed to Algeird on what type of dragon he wanted. Glancing around at all the dragons around him, he swallowed nervously.

"Which is the least likely to attack?" he asked, his normally even tone cracking. Even when he'd offered to learn to train a dragon, he'd hoped that he wouldn't have to.

"Gronkle," Fishlegs answered immediately. "While they look intimidating, they're really just-"

"Er, sorry, but I don't really want one after two just attacked Berk. Besides, I was thinking… smaller."

"Like a Terrible Terror?" Astrid suggested. "They're tiny, and will likely only bite your nose if it does attack."

At that comment, Algeird rubbed his nose, not liking pain of any kind. "Maybe."

"Come on, you can't even _fly_ on a dragon _that_ small," Margen criticized.

"So? I don't really _ want _ to fly. I like having my feet firmly on the ground, why thank you."

Astrid called a couple Terrible Terrors into the arena, allowing Algeird to get a good look at them. The young teen grinned when he saw how small they were. He knelt down and started to pet a blue-purple one. The dragon curled up beside him. He looked up at the others, a wide grin firmly on his face.

"I like this one," he told them, lifting the small dragon.

Seeing how his sister and Toriq had bonded with Acridfire and Darkspike, he shifted the dragon to his left arm, holding his right hand above the dragon's head. It blinked yellow eyes at the hand, before eagerly jutting its nose into his palm. Algeird chuckled as the small dragon purred while rubbing its head into his palm.

"Well, what are you going to call it?" Astrid queried.

Algeird thought for a moment. The old hunting dog his family had owned came to mind as he gazed at the Terrible Terror. He smiled, deciding it was a perfect name. "Leif."

Suddenly from above, a loud roar unlike any Algeird, Margen, or Toriq had yet heard filled the air. All glanced to the sky where a black form was hurtling at the arena, the vague form of a rider on its back. The speed at which Toothless and Hiccup approached bespoke trouble.

**Wow, two chapters in one day. I'm well aware that this one is a lot shorter than the first, but I didn't feel like it needed to continue much longer. Besides, I really need to go to sleep, and I won't have much time to write tomorrow because of school and homework. I hate when you have three days to read an eleventh-grade level book because you keep putting it off. (Meaning, a good idea never to do it.)**

**Anyways, no, Leif does not in any way mean leaf. I've checked. It was just the only Viking name I could think of off the top of my head besides 'Erik.' Also, I laughed when I first came up with 'Acridfire' because it sounds so similar to 'rapid-fire.' And Darkspike looks kind of like the Nadder Hiccup trained in **_**We Are Family Part II**_** and got Mildew to ride.**

**Pease leave just a single review?**


	3. Chapter 3: The Untold Story

**Danger on the Waters**

Galaya

**I finally got a review! Why does it take **_**99**_** views to get **_**one**_** review? Is it really that hard to pluck up the will to leave a review that'll tell someone that they shouldn't abandon their story forever and give up writing altogether? (I could never stop writing, but it gets the point across.) Thank you for the review, anonymous reviewer Clay.**

Chapter Three: The Untold Story

The teens rushed to clear a landing spot for Toothless as the Night Fury swept into the arena. Hiccup clung to his dragon's back. Margen and Toriq's eyes widen in surprise at his small stature. Algeird also looked intrigued, wondering how someone so small had managed to gather the courage not to flee at the sight of a Night Fury. Although, from what he'd heard from the other dragon trainers about Hiccup, he supposed it made sense.

"Hiccup!" Astrid called out. "What's wrong?"

"Plenty," he replied.

"Like the four rouge dragons that just attacked?" Snotlout butted in.

Astrid elbowed him in the gut. From atop Toothless, Hiccup simply sighed heavily. He made no move to get off the dragon.

"Aren't you going to get off?" asked Ruffnut.

Hiccup raised his eyes to look at her. "I can't. I'm a wee bit stuck. Well, not stuck. I can't."

"Can you please start making sense?" Astrid huffed. "We've had a rough morning; we don't need any of your riddles to make everything worse."

"My foot. I lost it."

"Well, yeah, we know you lost your foot," Snotlout rolled his eyes.

Hiccup glared at him. "No, not that one. The metal one. It got stuck while I was trying to get off that island, and I had to take it off to have a chance to get away in time."

"So you can't _walk_."

"Thank you for summing that up. Now can you please just listen to me for a moment. Alvin and the Outcasts are capturing wild dragons. They also have-"

The twins' voices drowned his words out. In exasperation, Hiccup turned towards Astrid.

"Outcasts! Let's go kill them!" Ruffnut shouted excitedly.

"Yeah! Alvin will finally get what he deserves! Though, I'm still not sure how he earned the name 'Alvin,'" Tuff agreed.

"I'll take Alvin's head as a trophy, and mount it on a spear like we used to with Gronkle heads!"

"No, I will! You can blow up Savage!"

"Do those two ever stop fighting?" Hiccup queried to no one in particular.

"Nope," Astrid shook her head. "Come on; we should get you to Gobber and warn your father about Alvin. What was it you were going to say."

"I think Mildew betrayed us."

"Well, yeah. He lead you to that island so Alvin could capture you."

"No. I mean, when I thought he saved my life. It was all an act. Or they forced the information out of him."

"What information?" Margen questioned.

Hiccup blinked at her, looking at Toriq and Algeird as well. Questioningly, he glanced at Astrid again. She understood his confusion immediately.

"We found them shipwrecked as we were heading back to Berk. Their names are Margen, Toriq, and Algeird. They're from the Clasher Tribe, but the Outcasts killed all but the three of them. When the rouge dragons attacked, we thought it might be a good idea to train a few more dragon trainers, with you gone. None of us believe that they're like Heather; Alvin wouldn't be so stupid as to try that trick twice."

Hiccup nodded. "Anyways, when I was on Outcast Island, after Alvin captured me a few weeks ago, Mildew and I needed a way to get to where they were holding Toothless. We ran into some wild dragons. I trained a Nadder right in front of Mildew. It appears he gave Alvin the information on how to train dragons. He was riding a Whispering Death."

Three hours later, Hiccup was seated in the forge, waiting for Gobber to finish the new prosthetic for him. It was essentially the same, but the 'foot' part was made round and smooth, to keep it from getting jammed like the first one. The bottom was the same, with two spikes for traction. Algeird was seated nearby, watching with interest. While he'd never had an interest in forging, he did find the process of it fascinating.

Although, Leif continuously got in Gobber's way. The blue-purple Terrible Terror seemed to find the molten metal to be the most intriguing thing in the world. Algeird was glad that the dragon hadn't yet tried to paw the liquid. He wasn't sure if it would hurt him or not. After all, dragons were fireproof. Molten steel was basically fire.

Glancing over at Hiccup, he wasn't certain what to say. He hadn't yet told Margen or Toriq, but he'd seen the Whispering Death back when the Outcasts attacked the Clashers. The experience was still too fresh and frightening, and he didn't really want to admit to his sister or Toriq that he'd come so close to death. All that had saved him was the pure white dragon that had crashed to the ground between him and the Whispering Death.

He bit his lip, wondering if he should tell Hiccup. The older boy seemed very confident, with the Night Fury he'd befriended lying at his side as living proof. Algeird didn't think he'd ever have had the confidence to approach a wild dragon any more dangerous than a Terrible Terror. That was why he'd chosen Leif. He felt like asking Hiccup about it.

"Were- were you scared?" he stuttered.

Hiccup looked up. "What?"

"When you found your dragon. Were you scared?"

"When I met Toothless? A little. I thought he was going to kill me. But when I saw that he was bound and looked dead, all I felt was that my life had been turned around- that I'd finally be accepted as a true Viking. I wouldn't kill him because I saw that he was as scared as I was, though."

"what do you mean, you wouldn't kill him? I thought you trained dragons."

Hiccup laughed. "We do now. For three hundred years, we fought them. I was the first Viking who wouldn't kill a dragon. Instead, I studied Toothless, and learned from those experiences how to train dragons. Whoever would have thought that dragons like a certain grass, or were afraid of eels?"

"They're afraid of eels?" Algeird perked up. "But, eels are tiny. Well, some aren't, but the point stands."

"You wouldn't think that a dragon the size of a Night Fury could scare a Monstrous Nightmare, but Toothless can intimidate Hookfang at any time. I don't know why dragons are afraid of eels. We've only found one species, the Typhoomerang, that isn't afraid of eels."

"But, that'd be like me scaring, say… er… Gobber? That's his name, right? I mean, he's a big, experienced warrior. I'm just little, harmless me. As an analogy for dragons being scared of eels."

"You're Algeird, right?"

"Yes."

"Before I met Toothless, I wasn't much of anything. The only thing people had to worry about with me was the messes I made in my determination to prove myself. I couldn't even throw a bola. I still can't. But that didn't mean I never tried. But why do you compare yourself to being like a harmless eel?"

Algeird hunched over, as if trying to disappear. Leif halted, glancing over at the young teen, then flew onto his shoulder. The small dragon head-butted his single-horned helmet reassuringly. Algeird rubbed the dragon's head.

"I'm just scared of everything. I have no idea how everyone else can stare into the eyes of death and not even flinch. My father always said I was a disgrace, and wouldn't even let me have a proper bed. I often spent nights outside, under the stars, because my father never gave me a glance. The only time he bothered to take notice of me was when I got in his way, or did something that embarrassed him, like when I dropped an axe on my foot and split it in half. That hurt, and it never healed properly. It's like I have two right feet and one left foot from how I injured it."

"My dad used to give me hardly any notice. I was always messing up and getting into trouble. It wasn't until I learned how to train dragons, although he didn't know, that I actually had anything to talk to him about, besides my latest failing. I know how it feels to be ignored. I was even disowned for about half a day. Right after that, I saved Berk and killed the Red Death, losing my left foot in the process. Maybe one day, things will be better for you."

Silence lay between them for a while, broken only by the sounds of Gobber's banging, Toothless's breathing, and Leif gnawing on the horn of Algeird's helmet. The younger teen fiddled with a small stone he'd picked up off the ground. It was smooth and black with a white streak.

"I saw it," he suddenly muttered.

"Saw what?" Hiccup frowned.

"The Whispering Death. When the Outcasts attacked us, they had it with them. It nearly killed me."

"How long ago was that?"

"Not quite a week ago. I'm still in shock, although the only one I'll miss is our hunting dog, Leif. I named the dragon after him. But I know I saw the Whispering Death. That's why I was hesitant when the others found us and offered to carry us. After nearly getting killed by a dragon, I couldn't imagine riding one. Strangely, a pure white dragon saved me by crashing down in front of the Whispering Death."

"What kind of dragon was it?"

"I don't know. I didn't care to get a good look. It was easily as big as a Monstrous Nightmare, though. And wet. I know I felt a few drops of water fall on me. It kind of hurt, though. Water doesn't usually hurt. Maybe it was hail, though. But I don't think it was raining, snowing, or hailing that day."

"You might have been so on edge that you thought it hurt," Hiccup shrugged. "I wouldn't blame you since you were facing a Whispering Death at the time. Fear can trick the mind."

"Yeah, probably. The only thing I did get a good look at were its eyes: bright gold and soul piercing. I could never forget those eyes."

Leif leapt off Algeird's shoulder to go investigate Toothless. The Night fury lifted his head and huffed at the smaller dragon. Both teens watched in amusement as Leif sniffed at Toothless curiously. Toothless bared his teeth and growled, sending Leif cowering and whimpering behind Algeird. The younger teen chuckled.

"Do you ever wonder how much they understand us?" Algeird queried, looking up at Hiccup.

The older teen smiled. "I know Toothless understands a lot of what I say; he's likely the most intelligent dragon on Berk. All the others seem to understand their riders well. Hookfang even has a huge sense of humor when it comes to Snotlout. It's often like they are human, just with a different language that we could never truly understand."

"That's what I've been thinking about Leif."

"And it's done," Gobber announced, walking over to the two teens holding Hiccup's new prosthetic in his right hand.

Hiccup stood unsteadily and accepted the prosthetic from his former mentor. He slipped it on and set it down testily. Deciding it was sound, he smiled and nodded to Gobber. The blacksmith looked proud of his handiwork. He looked over at Algeird.

"I could also fix that helmet for you," he offered.

Algeird shook his head. "Naw. I rather like it the way it is. It's the only thing my father ever gave me. I was only about five and he hadn't yet decided that I was an utter disgrace to him, so it reminds me of those times. Having it broken fits it to my personality better."

Algeird gave a small, crooked grin, amused by how true his last comment was. The break in the single horn gave the helmet an awkward, fragile, but enduring appearance, very much like how Algeird viewed himself. It did fit him.

Leif suddenly perched on his right shoulder, knocking the helmet once again over Algeird's left eye. He gave the dragon a half-hearted, but amused, glare. Gobber and Hiccup chuckled, drawing an even larger grin from Algeird. He'd never felt more at home. Even if he had to nearly die to gain acceptance, he was happy he had at last.

He righted his helmet and turned his gaze to the door. Outside, night was already falling. Now that Hiccup and Toothless were back, Algeird wasn't certain where he, Margen, and Toriq would stay for the night. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

"Wondering where you'll stay? I've heard Margen and Toriq have decided to use Mildew's old house until a better settlement can be found. You're welcome to go with them, or continue to stay with my father and me. There's plenty of room in our house for a guest. Or two, considering Leif."

"I'd rather not stay with Margen. I don't mind Toriq, but she's a bit _too_ overbearing. I think I'll accept your offer. But only for tonight. I don't want to burden you," Algeird nodded, trying not to yawn as he realized how tired he was.

"A little scrap like you?" Gobber said. "I don't think you'd be much of a burden to anyone, unless you're as trouble prone as Hiccup."

"Thanks," Algeird responded, not certain what the proper reply would be.

**And there you go, the third chapter. Could I please maybe get a second review? Or more? And if anyone can guess what kind of dragon Algeird saw, I might tell you its name. I'll give you a hint to white kind of dragon it is: the name has three vowels in it and is one word. The other hints, you'll have to find.**

**Please, please, **_**PLEASE**_** leave a review! They get me very happy and excited. I want to bounce off the walls when I see I've gotten one. Or go flying on a dragon. Actually, I always want to go flying on a dragon. That would be awesome. Just like getting a review.**


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